Vincent van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh was born in Holland. The son of a pastor, he brought up in a religious environment. His earliest years were spent

as a quiet child with little or no attention spent on art or artistic qualities.

Between 1860 and 1880, he had worked as a clerk in a bookstore, an art salesman, and a

preacher.

In 1881, he went to Belgium to study art, determined to provide happiness to others by creating beauty. Many of his earliest pieces were of peasant life, which could be credited to his work with the

miners while he was a preacher.

Vincent soon became passionate about becoming a famous drawer of figures, and continued to practice his newly developed skills.

In 1885, he enrolled in an academy in Belgium where he discovered the art of Peter Paul Rubens and various Japanese artists. Both of

these factors would greatly affect Vincent’s style in art.

By early 1886, he had moved to Paris, France to live with his brother Theo. Here Vincent was exposed to modern art from the

impressionists. The impressionist painters were famous for their use of light and color without a lot of detail. Vincent quickly dropped the

dark colors he had previously used and began using brighter colors and also began experimenting with these new techniques.

While in Paris, Vincent met other artists. He became friends with artist Paul Gauguin and hoped that his new friends would join him to

create a school of art, which Gauguin later did.

Vincent began painting sunflowers to decorate Gauguin's bedroom. These sunflowers would later become one of Vincent's most famous

pieces.

In 1888, Vincent started suffering from mental illness. In one episode, he physically threatened his friend Gauguin. Later that day,

Vincent returned to their house and cut off his ear. Vincent was temporarily hospitalized and released to find Gauguin leaving town,

ending Vincent’s dream of an artistic community.

Later that year, he returned to the hospital. He painted The Starry Night at that time, which remains his most popular work and one of the most influential pieces in history. The swirling lines of the sky may represent his confused mind at that time. This same style is

visible in all of his work during his time in the hospital.

Vincent left the hospital in 1890. He continued working and created a number of pieces; nearly one painting a day. In spite of his great creativity, Vincent was very disappointed with his life. His mental illness did not allow him to really enjoy his artistic talent. He died

later that year.

Between 1881 and 1890, Vincent painted almost 900 paintings. Since his death, he has become one of the most famous painters in the world. Vincent’s paintings have captured the minds and hearts of

millions of art lovers.

During his lifetime Vincent was never famous as a painter and struggled to make a living as an artist. Vincent only sold one painting during his lifetime, The Red Vineyard. This painting sold in Belgium

only a few months before his death.

In contrast, his paintings currently bring a very high price. Four of the ten most expensive paintings in the world were painted by Vincent.

This painting entitled Portrait of Dr. Gachet sold in 1990 for $82.5 million which is the equivalent of $136 million today.

Although Vincent van Gogh only lived to the age of 37, he was able to greatly influence the art world. His paintings, to this day, continue to

inspire people around the world.